News: Nintendo Won’t Mimic Online Competitors, says Iwata

In an interview with IGN, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated the company’s direction as an innovator in the online space, rather than an imitator: “We have not thought that offering the same features that already exist within other online communities would be the best proposal for very experienced game players.”

We already knew as much. Miiverse is shaping up to be a distinct take on the online forum experience, on which the makers of Penny-Arcade riffed earlier this week.

There’s also the absence of a universal voice chat feature, though can we agree that Nintendo would have done well to follow suit on this one? Speaking with friends online will be done through third-party services, unfortunately.

More is on the way. Iwata mentions “advancements and improvements” to Wii U as time goes on, most of which are sure to keep carving out a different online experience for a company that has only started to embrace it.